Tricks And Treats
by Elle Mariet
Summary: When Inuyasha spends his first Halloween in Kagome's era, he doesn't expect the events he's about to encounter.
1. Chapter 1

"Bye, Kagome!" Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi called out together as they waved to their always ill friend before turning towards each other and musing how Kagome was well enough to attend school, after having a gallbladder attack the week before.

"Cya!" Kagome turned and yelled before dashing down the street towards the Higurashi shrine.

As she ran through the streets Kagome noticed the windows of shops decorated with bats and spiders. Orange and black streamers hung from street lamps with witch dolls and werewolf figures outside on the side walk. People crowded into the costume store Kagome ran past; young boys coming out dressed as zombies, vampires, and Frankenstein, while the girls wore princess dresses and fairy tale characters.

_I just love Halloween. _Kagome thought happily as she made her way home as fast as she could - unaware a certain Hanyou was impatiently waiting for her return.

"Took ya long enough!" Inuyasha roared as Kagome entered the living room.

He was sprawled across the couch on his side, watching the television, while Gramps tried to explain how it worked. Although Inuyasha wasn't the least bit interested in hearing the history of a 'te-ee-ve-ee' he pretended to listen, not wanting to upset Kagome's elderly grandfather. Despite hating the future that Kagome lived in, Inuyasha liked her family - they never treated him like he was different, which was a trait Kagome inherited - as Inuyasha liked to think.

"Inuyasha, when did you get here?"

"I've been here since you left, wench!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the television. The better to pretend to not care then act upset that she was gone all day.

"Where's Mom and Souta, Gramps?" Kagome asked, obviously picking up on Inuyasha's idea.

"Your mother is out getting treats for the children, and Souta is upstairs dressing for tonight."

"Hm, I wonder what he'll go as this ye-"

"What'dya mean this year? What's going on tonight?" Inuyasha interrupted.

"Halloween! It's a day to be scared of; where the dead walk the earth for a night, and we get treats from houses. Everyone plays jokes on each other and we dress up in spooky costumes!"

Inuyasha's ears flattened, "Halllohweeeeen eh? Are you sure it's not called O-Bon, Kagome?"

"What's O-Bon?"

"It's when all the humans celebrate the memory of their dead relatives."

"Doesn't that word mean 'to hang upside down'?"

"Yes." Gramps said, getting his serious-story-telling-face on. "It refers to a legend about a Buddhist monk who, deep in meditation, was able to see his long lost dead mother hanging upside down in the Buddhist equivalent of hell. This was her punishment for having eaten meat during her lifetime - a Buddhist taboo - and refusing to repent of it. The monk was holy enough to go to hell and buy his mother's passage with some of his own excess goodness."

"Yeah, I heard of that." Inuyasha said shivering into his fire rat kimono, _this stuff gives me the creeps.._

"I wonder if we ever ran into this monk before, or if Miroku knows him." Kagome thought quietly.

Before anyone else had a chance to clear the silence Souta bounced into the room; sporting an untidy white wig with unusual cat ears headband. He was dressed in red clothes that looked similar to pajamas and he was wearing plastic vampire fangs in his mouth.

"Souta!" Kagome gasped, then laughed. "What are you?"

"I'm Inuyasha, sis! Can't you tell?"

Kagome walked up and tugged on the headband. "The kitty ears are a nice touch.."

"I'm a dog demon, not a cat!" Inuyasha bellowed.

Souta frowned and hung his head. "You don't like it, Inuyasha? Everyone in my class is being their favorite super hero, and since your mine I thought I could be my super hero."

"Hey," Inuyasha blushed. "I'm not a super hero!"

"Yes you are; you save Kagome all the time - she's always bragging how yo-"

"Thats enough, Souta!" Kagome said clamping a hand over his mouth.

Inuyasha was about to ask just what Kagome was always bragging about when Mom came home carrying bundles of bags in her hand. Inuyasha jumped up and effortlessly brought them in - sniffing at what kind of goodies these bags had.

"Thankyou Inuyasha, always a delight to have your help around the house!" Mom chimed. "Are you here to celebrate Halloween with us? It's one of Kagome's favorite holidays you know."

Inuyasha was about to tell her they had important jewel shard collecting when he noticed the hopeful look on Kagome's face. He knew it was fight he wasn't going to win, especially when Kagome had her family on her side, and the Sit command..

"Just for tonight. And were leaving tomorrow." He said to Kagome, putting a serious expression on his face before changing the subject to ask what was in the bag and if it was for him.

_Selfish as usual_, Kagome thought as she went up to her room to change out of her school uniform.

When she came back down she was horrified to see Mom showing Inuyasha a photo album of Kagome and Souta's previous Halloween costumes.

"Oh and here's when Kagome went as a dragon, awe, isn't she just so cute with her little dragon suit? I made it myself you know."

"Mom! What are you doing?" She moaned, feeling her face get hot.

"Inuyasha wanted to know what you dressed up as so I dug out the old photo albums."

He flipped from page to page and looked over her from when she was a baby to a few years ago he guessed. One costume which he found himself looking at more then the others was the last one, where Kagome dressed up as a devil. She was sitting on the staircase smiling, wearing glittery red horns on her head and a little red dress, which if you looked close enough past her knees you could catch a glimpse of her panti-

"Give that back!" Kagome tried to snatch it out of the Hanyou's hands but he was too quick for her.

"Hands off!" He growled.

"Wait, why are you blushing, what are you looking at?"

"Get off my back already!"

"Show me!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I said so, wench!"

"Alright then.. Have it your way."

"No - wait, Kago-"

"Sit boy!"

A/N: Here's the first one - I've decided to make it a little longer (3 or 4 CH) to get through the whole night. The history of O-Bon comes from a Japanese website that explains the origins of O-Bon.

**O-Bon** celebrated by some people from July 13-15 and others from August 13-15. Food and water is placed in front of photos of the dead. Bonfires and lanterns light the spirits' path back to earth.

On the first day of O-Bon, people decorate their loved ones' graves with fruit, cakes, and lanterns. On the second day, spirit altars or as they are referred to **Tamadana**, are assembled at home: Atop a woven rush mat stand the ancestors' memorial plaques, tempting vegetarian dishes, and cucumbers carved to represent horses on which the spirits are invited to ride. On the third day, whole communities gather for the **Bon Odori**, a hypnotic, slow dance that moves in concentric circles or multiple lines. Hundreds of people often dance together. As evening falls, tiny paper lanterns are set adrift on river or sea: these **Omiyage** gently light the spirits way back to the "other shore".

**Bon Odori**originates from the story of Maha Maudgalyayana (Mokuren), a disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother. He discovered she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering. Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes **Bon Odori **or "Bon Dance", a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated.

The festival of O-Bon lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. Buddhist Japanese remember their dead during this period. It is a time when people visit the graves of friends and family who are dead. They tidy up the area and think about the dead people.


	2. Chapter 2

It seems I have forgotten this in the first chapter...Whoops.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha.

A/N: KAY! So, here's the second chapter - review me please.

**- ONE HOUR AFTER CHAPTER 1 -**

Kagome and Inuyasha sat in her bedroom; Kagome at her desk and Inuyasha sitting in inu-position on her bed. Kagome's alarm clock read 4:03PM and the sun was beginning to make it's journey to set. Inuyasha had just remembered something important, and was starting to fidget and twitch.

_I can't believe I forgot, how could I have forgotten?_ He thought angrily. He punished himself by shouting ignorant names in his head. _Fucking stupid no good bastard cockless son of a bitch mother fucker, FUCK!_

"Inuyasha..?" A calm sweet voice purred into his brain and calmed him immediately. Kagome kneeled towards him on the floor and put a comforting hand on his.

"What?"

"Your face." She said questionably.

"Yeh, what about it?"

"Nothing." She said almost smiling. "So what's bothering you?"

"Feh."

"Inuyasha, tell me."

"Well, I-"

"Kagome!" Mom's voice shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "Can you commere for a minute, dear?"

"Coming! Hold that thought, Inuyasha." Kagome said before rushing out of her room.

"FUCK!" Inuyasha slammed his hand down on Kagome's bed before going to join the miko downstairs.

He caught the end of the conversation.

"Mom, that's not fair, why can't I just hand out the treats to the brats?"

"Your brother is too old to have his mom take him trick'or'treating, Kagome." Mom explained calmly.

"Then get Gramps to take him!"

"But I want Inuyasha to take me." Souta whinned, tugging at Kagome's sleeve.

"Inuyasha doesn't know the streets and where to go." Kagome argued.

"That's why you have to come too, sis!"

"What's going on?" Inuyasha asked coming into the kitchen, annoyed. He shielded his eyes with his palm from the sunlight leaking into the window that was heading over town to set. The moon would arise in only a short period of time.

"You get to take me trick'or'treating!" Souta said as he ran over to his _hero_ and grinned.

"Trek or treetn?"

"Mom, Inuyasha can't go out like that." Kagome said impatiently.

"Why not? It's Halloween, perfect time for Inuyasha to blend in!" Mom mused.

"Hm, that's not a bad idea." Kagome thought outloud.

"Perfect time for Inuyasha to learn the customs of our world!" Gramps joined in, over excited as usual.

"Inuyasha's half demon traits will suit tonight, it'll be almost normal for him." Kagome said feeling a little better about taking her kid brother out on Halloween.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that's not going to happen." Inuyasha said behind Kagome's family.

Everyone turned their attention back to Inuyasha, about to argue with the Hanyou that it would be a fun night for all of them - especially Gramps who was always up to over achieving at the fact that demons do exsist in the world and there was one in his very household for living, breathing proof! Their voices all came out in gasps as they caught sight of a very human like Inuyasha.

Inuyasha had traded his silver hair for calm black hair, his piercing golden eyes for soft voilet orbs, fangs for teeth, and claws for manly fingernails.

A smirk escaped his lips as everyone but Kagome excitedly stared in awe at the human Inuyasha they had never experienced. Kagome was used to Inuyasha transforming on the night of the new moon, and she wondered how she could have forgotten that it was tonight. _On all nights, too_. She thought.

"My hero's gone." Souta bawled.

Inuyasha put a fist ontop of his head, "Hey! It's still me in here, ya brat!"

"His cuddly ears have vanished." Mom said softly, tugging on his human ears. "But these are quite cute too!"

"A true half demon at the peak of his natural changing! Only once month does Hanyous' change into a human form, when their strength and senses weaken and he becomes naturally normal. Of course this was to happen, on the night of the new moon? How promising!" Gramps said with tears in his eyes.

"All of ya! GET OFF MY BACK!" Inuyasha roared as he attemped to jump backwards and escape, but clumsily tripped over a chair and fell on his bottom with a thud.

"He's a total clutz!" Souta said, wiping the tears off his cheeks.

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha groaned, feeling the pain in his rear creep up on him.

"Mom, I need a new costume!" Souta begged, still crying over the fact Inuyasha was normal now. Or as normal as Inuyasha could get.

"Now, now, Souta." Mom cooed, rubbing his head. "It's not Inuyasha's fault he changes into a human."

"Souta how dare you act like that! Inuyasha may have changed physically but he's still the cranky, over controlling, selfish, aggresive, jerk he usually is." Kagome scolded, pointing a finger at her brother.

"Gee, Kagome. Thanks for sticking up for me. I'm glad someones on my side." Inuyasha said sarcastically, struggling to get up.

Kagome frowned at him. "I hope that's not sarcasm mister!"

Mom put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "That just means Kagome AND Inuyasha will get to dress up this year, how exciting!"

"Dress up?" Inuyasha asked. "Like a costim?"

"Of course! You wouldn't want to go out on a night like this as a human now, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't." Inuyasha said looking at his feet.

The feeling of helplessness weighed on him as it always did on nighs like this; when he was in human form he felt like he wouldn't be able to protect Kagome if she needed him too. And his theory was put to use when the Spider Heads attacked one night when Kagome, Shippo, and himself were in a village that was plagued with spiders.  
Inuyasha thought back to that night, when he was unable to defend Kagome, and how he almost gotten himself and her killed. Even Shippo. He remembered how she cried for him, and used Tetsusaiga to free him from the sticky webs. And how his humanly emotions told Kagome she smelt nice, without the demon side to him Inuyasha felt like a sap.


End file.
